Measuring greatness — ranking the Pixars

Pixar Animation already extended its near-perfect winning streak earlier this year with the offbeat coming-of-age comedy, “Turning Red.”

The studio’s second feature of 2022, the space adventure “Lightyear,” aims to take the “Toy Story” brand in an entirely new direction, as the movie isn’t related to the continuity of the action-figure version of Buzz Lightyear.

In celebration of Pixar’s 26th feature film, I gave myself an especially challenging assignment — ranking the previous 25. For one, I’m on written record for liking nearly every entry, and many of these landed on year-end personal Top 10 lists. How does a Pixar superfan measure one great movie against another?

Ultimately, I had to stop trying to quantify the overall quality of the films and went with what felt right. And anyway, if I ran this same exercise next week, the order might be completely different.

All of these films can be streamed on Disney Plus. We’ll start at the bottom and work our way to No. 1.

25) Cars 2 (2011)

The only Pixar film I’ve ever given a negative review. “Cars 2” focuses way too much on Larry the Cable Guy’s Mater and a hyper superspy plot that abandons the small-town charm of the original “Cars.”

24) A Bug’s Life (1998)

A solid kids movie at a time when Pixar was still finding its footing. It lacks that quintessential emotional punch. At least it’s better than “Antz,” released the same year.

23) The Good Dinosaur (2015)

A troubled production and an uneven storyline bog down the impressive prehistoric visuals. “The Good Dinosaur” feels more like a solid “Ice Age” sequel than a Pixar-brand movie.

22) Cars (2006)

“Cars” gets a bad rap because of its bizarre, borderline frightening premise (why are these automobiles acting like humans, and, more importantly, what happened to all the humans?!). While the supporting characters lean too hard into annoying stereotypes, the central relationship between Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson works like any good coach-vs.-star player sports movie. Plus, Paul Newman!

21) Soul (2020)

Maybe this one will grow on me in time (I still ranked it in my Top 20 of 2020). It’s funny and emotionally satisfying in stretches, even if it does have a whiff of familiarity to “Inside Out.”

20) Cars 3 (2017)

Yes, the best entry in the “Cars” franchise, thanks to a story that thoughtfully puts McQueen in the position of questioning his own mediocrity. The addition of Cruz Ramirez also busts loose what has been too much of a boys club franchise until this point.

19) Finding Dory (2016)

Long-gestating sequels can be precarious, especially for something as special as the original “Finding Nemo.” The sequel enhances the visuals, maintains the laughs and gives the character of Dory a decent-enough backstory. It’s just tough to top the original.

18) Incredibles 2 (2018)

Love the frontlining of Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible, and the action sequences here top almost every live-action superhero movie of the last two decades. The last act, however, doesn’t quite connect its big-swing thematic ideas.

17) Brave (2012)

Probably higher on this list than most other Pixar rankings. This one had a troubled production, with the original director being forced off the project. It results in a messy-but-still deeply felt story of a mother and daughter trying to see each other for who they are as people, or, uh, as a bear.

16) Onward (2020)

Released just before COVID lockdowns, this story of brotherly love told against the backdrop of a wizarding world proved to be much more engaging than any of those “Fantastic Beasts” movies.

15) Monsters University (2013)

Another title people tend to underrate. This prequel to “Monsters Inc.” follows a familiar “college hijinks” arc before transitioning into a story about what you do when you aren’t particularly good at the thing you love. (Mike Wazowski isn’t frightening enough to be a proper Scarer.) The movie interrogates the idea of “You can do anything with your life” from a surprisingly mature standpoint.

14) Luca (2021)

A perfect summer movie about two friends growing up on the Italian Riviera. They just happen to also be sea monsters. A refreshingly low-stakes character portrait about kids learning how to embrace who they are.

13) Toy Story 3 (2010)

Look, all the “Toy Story” movies rule, and none of them mess with your emotions more than this installment, which sees the toys say goodbye to a college-bound Andy. Oh, and don’t forget the part where they also almost get incarcerated. A fitting end to a trilogy that loses a tiny bit of luster because of where “Toy Story 4” lands for Woody (see entry No. 11).

12) Turning Red (2022)

As much as Pixar can be praised for its consistency, the stories sometimes feel like they stem from a singular creative perspective (lots of white dudes direct these movies). “Turning Red” feels different, thanks to the unique voice of its primary filmmaker (director/co-writer Domee Shi). The specificity of 13-year-old Mei’s abrupt transformation becomes a compelling pathway to exploring a more universally-experienced coming-of-age journey.

11) Toy Story 4 (2019)

Like all the “Toy Story” entries, the fourth installment bustles with clever action and surprising humor (Forky proves to be a firecracker addition). Perhaps controversially, I think Part Four provides a much more resonant ending for Woody, the central character of the series who only sees himself through the lens of serving a child. The choice he makes at the end of this one makes more sense to this longtime “Toy Story” fan, and I appreciate the filmmakers making that (somewhat controversial) choice.

10) Monsters Inc. (2001)

Even putting aside its ingenious premise, “Monsters Inc.” works best in the quieter moments between toddler Boo and Sully, the “scary” monster who appears from her closet. Plus the way Boo says, “Mike Wazowski!” never, ever gets old.

9) Up (2009)

The opening 10 minutes of “Up” is probably the best sequence Pixar ever produced. The rest of the movie works too, despite a major tonal shift into adventure hijinks, and Dug the talking dog steals the movie on every sighting of a “Squirrel!” It earns a Top 10 spot because of its ending, which loops back around to those opening minutes in a wrenching, satisfying way. Adventure, it turns out, is not always about danger or exotic locations.

8) Coco (2017)

Fueled by vibrant colors and music, “Coco” manages to deliver a fantastical journey through the underworld without losing sight of its celebration of family, love, and how we choose to remember those who’ve left this Earthly world.

7) WALL-E (2008)

Told in long stretches without dialogue, “WALL-E” is a masterclass in visual storytelling, and, despite his inability to speak, the lonely, big-hearted title-character may have the most satisfying character arc in the entirety of the Pixar canon.

6) The Incredibles (2004)

Even after years of Marvel/DC big screen spectacle, “The Incredibles” remains one of the defining superhero stories in cinema because of its fine-tuned mix of blockbuster heroics, human conflict and big thematic ideas on what it means to be “superior.” It’s honestly the model entry that every modern comic book movie strives to achieve — that combination of running-on-water action and small moments like that image of Mr. Incredible hunching over a tiny office desk, contemplating his purpose in life.

5) Inside Out (2015)

Another example of taking a specific character, time and place (a pre-teen girl from Minnesota forced to move across the country) and telling an existentially relevant story of how our emotions overwhelm, confuse and ultimately guide us through life’s moments of blurred concoctions of joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust. Plus Bing Bong! The way Amy Poehler’s Joy gasps when he sees him for the last time…ooh. It haunts me.

4) Toy Story (1995)

The first full-length Pixar film features the most rudimentary animation, and the one-liners run fast and loose in a way that sometimes feels decidedly un-Pixar in hindsight. Still, this started it all for good reason. The dynamic between Woody and Buzz, as well as their individual story arcs (it’s the only movie in the franchise that gives Buzz an opportunity for change and growth), combine into a thrilling and enduring model that would come to define the Pixar Way.

3) Finding Nemo (2003)

Maybe I’m a sucker for the under-the-sea setting, or the way “Finding Nemo” builds upon one dynamic, unique sequence after another and introduces a literal ocean full of eclectic characters.

Even before I became a parent, I latched onto the film’s devastating opening scene, where Marlin loses his life companion and literally hundreds of children in a matter of seconds. The sight of that one, cracked egg, and the way we get a brief flashback of it in the final act, makes “Finding Nemo” an all-timer for me.

2) Ratatouille (2007)

In my opinion, the best movie from an incredible movie year (2007 also included masterpieces like “There Will Be Blood” and “No Country for Old Men”). The bizarre premise (a rat who wants to be a chef) sounds like a dozen other kiddie-flicks, but writer/director Brad Bird uses food to explore the drive of creativity, the function of criticism and how our personal connection to artistry comes to define the concept of “greatness.”

1) Toy Story 2 (1999)

Almost a straight-to-video project, “Toy Story 2” most defines the magic of Pixar — through various behind-the-scenes turmoil and a months-long commitment to “get it right,” “Toy Story 2” became a near-perfect film. It enhances the themes of the first film and introduces an even scarier potential trauma for Woody (What happens when Andy grows up?) that becomes the conflict that drives the remainder of the series.

Those fears are amplified with the introduction of Jesse, who gets a flashback here that would become the measuring stick for all subsequent tear-inducing Pixar moments. It’s the personal hook to an airtight adventure film that fully maximizes the potential of toys living a secret life inside the human world.

And, not for nothing, “Toy Story 2” is probably the funniest movie in the Pixar lineup, thanks to dueling Buzz Lightyears and a deep supporting bench of Rex, Hamm, Slinky Dog, Barbie and more providing the perfect lighthearted counterbalance to Woody’s existential crisis.

Really though, this comes down to “When She Loved Me.”

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Tyler Wilson is a member of the International Press Academy and has been writing about movies and pop culture for Inland Northwest publications since 2000, including a regular column in The Press since 2006. He can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.